Thursday, July 3, 2014

Mini Reviews: Better Off Friends and Fangirl

For Macallan and Levi, it was friends at first sight. Everyone says guys and girls can’t be just friends, but these two are. They hang out after school, share tons of inside jokes, their families are super close, and Levi even starts dating one of Macallan’s friends. They are platonic and happy that way.

Eventually they realize they’re best friends — which wouldn’t be so bad if they didn’t keep getting in each other’s way. Guys won’t ask Macallan out because they think she’s with Levi, and Levi spends too much time joking around with Macallan, and maybe not enough time with his date. They can’t help but wonder . . . are they more than friends or are they better off without making it even more complicated?

From romantic comedy superstar Elizabeth Eulberg comes a fresh, fun examination of a question for the ages: Can guys and girls ever really be just friends? Or are they always one fight away from not speaking again — and one kiss away from true love?

My Thoughts

So I absolutely adored this book. It has to be one of my favorite YA romance novels of 2014 so far. Better Off Friends is a story about Macallan and Levi's friendship. They recount their adventures through middle school and high school in their own point of view, sometimes adding in their own commentary showing that guys and girls can just be friends...kind of. Better Off Friends is an extremely cliche and predicable novel but in an adorable good way. Although I'm not a huge fan of alternating POV's, this one definitely worked as I loved seeing the story from both their perspectives and hearing their different opinions. Better Off Friends is definitely a fantastic, fun read, fit for people looking for a light hearted romance between two friends. But really, everyone needs to read this!

Elizabeth Eulberg was born and raised in Wisconsin before heading off to college at Syracuse University and making a career in the New York City book biz. Now a full-time writer, she is the author of The Lonely Hearts Club, Prom & Prejudice, Take a Bow, Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality, and Better Off Friends. She lives outside of Manhattan with her three guitars, two keyboards, and one drumstick.

Author: Rainbow Rowell

Series: None

Genre: YA/NA contemporary romance, Coming of Age/Realistic Fiction

Release Date: September 10, 2013

Format: Hardcover

My Rating: 5 stars

Summary From Goodreads:

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan...

But for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words... And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?

Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

My Thoughts

Fangirl is simply amazing. I could leave it at that, but there's so much more to it. Cath (or Cather) is such a relatable character because I am a huge fangirl myself. Rainbow Rowell truly captured the essence of life and change in an extremely realistic way. Throughout the novel, there is a huge amount character growth and development in everyone, not just in Cath. Fangirl touches on tons of life lessons like the importance of family and friends, relationships, and belonging. I loved every single character (okay, besides Laura), and I truly felt as if I was part of their circle. I loved Cath and Reagan's banter, the bond between Cath and Wren, and the adorableness of her and Levi. Ah, Levi, I him so much. He is perfect for Cath.If you haven't read Fangirl, I highly recommend you do. It is an amazing coming of age novel fit for all fangirls/fanboys.

But she always writes about people who talk a lot. And people who feel like they’re screwing up. And people who fall in love. When she’s not writing, Rainbow is reading comic books, planning Disney World trips and arguing about things that don’t really matter in the big scheme of things.

2 comments:

Better off friends seems like a really good book! I've seen a few people around school read it, but I haven't found it at the library yet :'( Looking at you review, I guess maybe I should look a bit harder :D Awesome review Ariel!